"Yeah, yeah, OK, Rock. That sounds good. Just let me know what you need me to do," Armando said, relieved.

"When she comes back today, all ya gotta do is make sure she puts on the sexiest outfit ya got. Have her put it on, and give her something big to wear over it. Something that's easy to take off," he said.

Rock left the house and went to Juju's, where he knew he'd find Maggie. When Juju opened the door and Rock stepped inside the tiny studio apartment, Seth jumped to his feet and ran to Maggie. He placed his whole body behind hers and poked his head around her side to keep an eye on Rock.

Noticing the boy's fear, Rock chuckled loudly. "Relax, boy. I ain't here for you."

"So, what are you here for?" Juju asked with apprehension.

"I'm here to talk to Maggie," Rock said. The serious tone in his voice sent chills up Maggie's spine.

"Su...sure, Rock. What's up?" Maggie asked nervously.

"Come on. We need to take a little ride," he responded mysteriously.

Maggie and Juju exchanged worried looks, both wondering if Rock had found out that Maggie was turning extra tricks. After giving Seth a hug, Maggie followed Rock outside and slid into the front seat of his car. Rock turned and swung a forceful backhand at her face. He wanted to scare her and put her on notice that what he was about to say wasn't an option.

"I know what you've been doing," Rock said and went silent.

"I...I...I don't know what you're talking about," she stuttered, blood dripping down her chin from her split lip.

"Oh no? Ya don't know you've been scammin' me? Turning out extra tricks and keeping the dough?"

"I can explain, Rock. Juju and I didn't have enough money to buy food for Seth and pay all the bills. I gave Armando my nightly quota. I never came up short on that," she pointed out.

"Your nightly quota is a minimum of what I expect ya to earn. Do ya think I pay for your skank ass to live for nothin'? For you to go behind my back and steal money from me?" Rock yelled.

"No. I'm sorry," Maggie replied timidly. But she was starting to burn up inside. Maggie knew how much money they made off her. She resented Rock, Armando, and all of the others for exploiting her and the other girls.

"So what now?" Maggie asked, not wanting to prolong whatever punishment was coming to her.

Her mind was racing, and she had a gripping fear that Rock would sell her back to the sex traffickers.

"I saw you dancing on the street pole the other day," he stated evenly.

"And?" she asked, rattled.

"And I've decided to put that skill of yours to good use. I'm taking ya out to a strip club. The manager there is gonna give ya an audition. We're going up there this afternoon. I expect ya to perform. You understand me?" Rock said in a coldblooded voice.

"But I'm not a stripper, Rock. I only know a couple of moves I learned before I came here-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Rock yelled. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her face close to his. "Listen real good. We're gonna go to that bar, and you're gonna dance like your life depends on it. Because it does," he threatened.

Maggie's fear of being on a stage started choking her-not so much her fear of stripping but that Rock said her life depended on it. What did he mean? Would he kill her if she didn't get hired? The pressure mounted, and her stomach felt like she was riding on a roller coaster. Maggie willed herself not to throw up.

"I'll pick ya up at the house at two o'clock this afternoon. Be ready. That means be standing on the sidewalk waitin' for me," he instructed. "Another thing...get your ass back to the house now."

Rock nodded toward the car door, silently telling Maggie to get out. She couldn't resist the urge to ask the question burning inside of her. "What did you mean when you said my life depends on it? What's gonna happen if this guy doesn't like me?"

"Let's just say I have an offer on the table. Someone who's lookin' to buy ya from me, and I'll leave it at that," he said, hoping his lie would pay off.

Maggie rushed out of the car and ran back to Juju's apartment. She threw open the door and burst into tears.

Alarmed and instantly frightened, Juju went to her. "What happened? What did he want?"

"He wants me to audition at a strip club. He said my life depends on getting hired. He found out I've been skimming money," she said, bawling.

Juju quickly reflected on all the warnings she'd given to Maggie. But she decided it wasn't the right time to preach. Instead, she wanted to be strong for Maggie.

"Yeah, well that motherfucker doesn't know who he's messin' with. You can dance like there's no tomorrow. You ain't got nothin' to be worried about," Juju said angrily.

Maggie took her hands away from her face. "Do you really think I'm good enough?"

"Do bears shit in the woods?" Juju asked.

Maggie smiled through her tears; she was half laughing and half crying. Then she was suddenly struck by the memory of Cali. She'd taught her how to dance well. Cali would want her to be strong. Slowly, she began to fill with confidence, and her tears subsided.

At two o'clock that afternoon, Maggie got into Rock's car. His tires screeched as he pulled away from the curb, and he drove to Double Visions.

Chapter Eighty-Eight.

It took a moment for Maggie's eyes to adjust from the sunlight to the darkness of the bar when they walked into Double Visions. She looked around the large room, her eyes pausing on the four men sitting at a bar that wrapped around a stage. Then she looked at the stripper dancing on the stage. She was wearing only a thong, and she appeared to be in a trance as she swung her hips slowly back and forth.

Rock moved up to the bar and stood.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked, eyeing them.

"We have an appointment with Jay," Rock announced.

"What's your name?"

"Rock."

"Yeah, OK. I'll let him know."

As they waited, Maggie fidgeted, and Rock sat on a barstool watching the stripper. He'd called the day before and talked to Jay, the bar manager. Apparently, he was the guy who made all the decisions when it came to hiring dancers. Rock knew little about Jay, but he did find out from him that Double Visions let the girls keep their tips without paying the house a percentage. The thought of keeping all of Maggie's tips was appealing to Rock, and that had been the deciding factor on which strip club to choose.

Only a few minutes later, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair and glasses came up the steps in one corner of the room. He strode over to Rock and Maggie, reeking with authority.

"Hey, Rock. Good to meet you," Jay said, extending his hand.

"Yeah, man. Same here. This is Maggie," Rock said, gesturing behind him.

As if Rock wasn't there with them, Jay walked over to Maggie and shook her hand. "Hey, Maggie. Good to meet you. Before we get started, I need to make sure you're eighteen," Jay stated.

Maggie nodded but remained silent.

"Great. Then you have ID I can see?" Jay asked.

Maggie reached into the pocket of the trench coat she was wearing and gave Jay the fake ID that Rock had given to her for the audition. It was a Pennsylvania driver's license that had been expertly converted with Maggie's picture and the name Maggie Brown. Jay looked it over, satisfied that it was a real license, and handed it back to her.

"All right. Let's go downstairs to my office," he told her.

Rock slid off the barstool to follow.

"Nah, man. You need to stay here. We don't allow boyfriends in there during the interview. In fact, no boyfriends are allowed in the bar during a dancer's shift. You gonna be OK with that?" Jay asked.

"Um, yeah, sure. I'll wait up here, then," he said. He gave Maggie a look of warning.

Maggie followed Jay downstairs. To the right was a large dressing room where two girls were sitting in front of mirrors applying makeup, lots and lots of makeup. They looked up and watched her in the mirror as she walked by. She followed Jay down a short hallway and into his office. Inside, a beautiful blond-haired woman sat in a chair next to Jay's desk. Jay sat behind the desk and said, "This is Shiver. That's the name we use for her here because the men say when she dances, it makes them shiver from head to toe. Shiver helps me with all of the dancers. Keeps things in order and prevents the girls from trying to make money on the side doing the kind of shit I don't allow in my bar."

Maggie gave her a broad smile, and Shiver was drawn to her. It wasn't just Maggie's youth and beauty, but a certain vibe the girl gave off that put Shiver at ease. She rose to her feet and gave Maggie an embrace.

"It's nice to meet you, Maggie. We want you to relax," Shiver said, sensing Maggie's tension.

While Shiver talked to Maggie, asking questions about her dancing experience, Jay watched her closely. Her face was beautiful, and her blue eyes were phenomenal, almost unreal. It made him wonder if she was wearing colored contacts. But her hair was in a sloppy bun on the top of her head, and the trench coat was baggy, making him doubt that she was the whole package. But that was exactly Rock's plan. He intentionally had her look the way she did, and Maggie had been told exactly what to do when the time came.

"Part of our interview is to get to know you, and the other part is to be sure you have the right look. Shiver and I will need to see you in a thong and bra. Are you wearing those?" Jay asked.

Maggie nodded, and then said, "Yes. I actually wore one of my favorite outfits."

"OK, great. Let's get to it then," Jay said nonchalantly.

Maggie unbuttoned her trench coat and let it fall to the floor at her feet. She was wearing a deep-purple, satin, push-up bra, her breasts forming perfectly round mounds above the cups, and a matching thong with rhinestones. On her legs, she wore sheer, white, thigh-high stockings with satin tops. The purple and white contrasted wonderfully against her skin tone, making her appear as if she radiated light. Jay and Shiver looked her over, and when their eyes rested upon her face, she removed the hair tie that held her messy bun in place. Her long, silky black hair fell below her waist. She was exquisite. Perfect. Too perfect to look natural. When neither of them said a word, Maggie reached behind her and unfastened her bra. As it fell away, her firm, round breasts remained in place, standing boldly at attention.

After several moments, Jay spoke. "OK, that's great Maggie. Can you turn around?"

As she turned, the muscles in her thighs rippled, and when he looked at her tight ass, without an ounce of fat, he instructed her to put her trench coat back on.

"So, I heard you telling Shiver you stripped before? I didn't catch what bar that was at," Jay probed.

"Oh, I was telling Shiver I used to strip at small private parties. I've never danced in an actual bar before," Maggie offered.

"Was there more involved than stripping?" Jay asked.

Maggie smiled. "Do you mean was I getting paid to have sex?"

Jay nodded.

"No," Maggie stated, feeling as though she was telling the truth, since she never got to keep any of the money the sex traffickers made from her.

"All right, good. I don't tolerate prostitution in my bar. If I decide to hire you, and you're caught having sex with our customers, and by sex I mean regular sex, hand jobs, blow jobs, all of it, you'll be fired. Do you have any questions?" Jay asked.

"Nope. I'm good," Maggie told him.

"OK. Let's go upstairs, and we'll have you dance, so we can see what you can do," Jay told her.

When they reached the bar, Jay went over to Rock. "Hey, Rock. I'm gonna need you to step outside. We want Maggie to dance for us. It'll just be one song, and then I'll send her out."

Rock stood slowly, put his hand over his money on the bar, and jerked his arm back. He shot an angry look in Maggie's direction and left the bar. He wasn't used to rules and people telling him what to do. Once Rock was gone, Jay gave the DJ a signal to begin a new song.

"You're up," Jay told Maggie.

Shiver squeezed Maggie's hand. "Just get lost in the music. You'll be great. Go get 'em."

Maggie started out slow and kept rhythm with the beat. When she shimmied up the pole, her strong calves made it look effortless. She swayed and flowed to the music. The few people who were watching her were mesmerized.

When the song was over, Maggie felt euphoric. Her movements had come so naturally. She barely realized that the men around the bar were staring at her. When she got off the stage and walked over to pick up her coat, Shiver pointed behind her. "They want to give you money," she said, feeling happy for Maggie. She'd seen enough to know that Maggie had the basic pole moves mastered, and with a little coaching, would be a superb dancer.

Maggie walked to the four men, one by one, who were holding out dollar bills for her. As she stopped in front of them and held out her hand, each of the men paused before placing the bill in her palm. Jay had to refrain from laughing. Then he made eye contact with Shiver and gave his nod of approval. When Maggie got back to Shiver, she was excited.

"OK, our first order of business is to teach you how to collect tips," Shiver teased.

"Why? What did I do?" Maggie asked, nervous she'd done something terribly wrong.

Shiver took Maggie's hand and pulled her along into the lap dance room. Inside the large room, there were double-wide seats separated by privacy panels. Shiver whipped off her tank top and let her bra drop. Her breasts, much larger than any Maggie had ever seen, popped out like two melons.

"OK, now I want you to be one of the guys sitting at the bar."

Maggie giggled. "All right."

"Well, hold out your dollar for me," Shiver said, egging her on.

Maggie put a dollar bill between her middle and index finger, just like the men had done with her minutes before. Then she was gripped, as Shiver made eye contact with her, making Maggie feel as though she were the only human being left on earth. Shiver pressed her boobs together with her hands, snatching the dollar bill between her breasts.

"See, the men want to put their dollar bill between your boobs."

"Oh! Wow, I feel like an idiot," Maggie admitted.

Shiver laughed and put her arm around Maggie's shoulder. "I think you're going to do just fine here. Welcome to Doubles."

Chapter Eighty-Nine.